Women's S&D Turns In Solid Effort at Akron

Saturday, March 13

Akron, OH

3 p.m.

Ball State University

208

Akron

March 13, 2021 | Women's Swimming and Diving

Complete Results (Swimcloud.com)

AKRON, Ohio - - In one if its two final tune-ups before the 2021 Mid-American Conference Championships, the Ball State women's swimming & diving traveled to Akron to test itself against the league's top team.

"We knew we had a tough opponent today, facing the seven-time defending MAC Champs, and we were looking forward to the challenge," head coach J. Agnew said after the meet. "The races were extremely competitive, and it was nice to get a few wins throughout the meet."

In all, the Cardinals (4-2) finished the day with 15 top three finishes against the talented Zips (3-1). The total included three event wins, six second-place efforts and six third-place finishes.

Leading the charge was freshman freestyle specialist Marcella Ribeiro who took top billing in both the 200 (1:51.54) and 500 (4:58.20) freestyles. Her 200 time is the sixth-fastest individual time in program history, while her 500 time is the fifth-fastest.

"Marcella is tough as nails," Agnew said. "She is fearless when she races and constantly trying to find a way to get better. Our distance group has fed off her competitiveness, exemplified by a big time drop from her training partner, Katie Walker, in the 1000 free today."

Junior Katie Walker's time in the 1000 freestyle, 10:24.45, which placed her second on the day and moved her into seventh on Ball State's all-time list.

Ball State's other event win came from junior Alex Bader who won the 100 breaststroke by over half a second with a time of 1:02.90. It's the fifth time Bader has won the 100 breaststroke in a meet this season.

"About a month out from MAC we have really been trying to emphasize the execution of details under pressure," Agnew concluded. "The team is working incredibly hard as we make our final push toward the MAC Championships. It was great to see the team rise to the challenge and throw down some of our best performances against great competition today."

Ball State's final regular season test will come Saturday, March 27, when it travels to Indiana State for a 1 p.m. meet with the Sycamores and Southern Illinois.

Ball State Event Winners
Marcella Ribeiro (Fr.) - 200 Freestyle (1:51.54), 500 freestyle (4:58.20)
Alex Bader (Jr.) - 100 Breaststroke (1:02.90)